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Wychert or witchert (with a number of variant spellings existing and meaning "white earth") is a natural blend of white chalk and clay which is mixed with straw to make walls and buildings, usually then thatched or topped with red clay tiles. This historic method of building construction is localised to Haddenham and the surrounding local area in
''Earth Buildings and their Repair'' - by Dirk BouwensHaddenham Museum with opening hoursThe Witchert Buildings of Buckinghamshire, England:Learning Sustainable Construction from our Ancestors
small>(Google cached version accessed 10 March 2006) Soil-based building materials {{material-stub
Wychert or witchert (with a number of variant spellings existing and meaning "white earth") is a natural blend of white chalk and clay which is mixed with straw to make walls and buildings, usually then thatched or topped with red clay tiles. This historic method of building construction is localised to Haddenham and the surrounding local area in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
. One of the largest known wychert structures is Haddenham Methodist Church.
The method of building with wychert is similar to that of a cob building. To maintain the rigid nature of wychert it must not become too dry for risk of crumbling, nor too wet for risk of turning to a slime. Keeping wychert well ventilated and not subject to excess condensation is therefore highly recommended. Any render applied to a wychert wall must therefore be of a breathable material — rendering wychert walls with a lime based render is therefore common practice.
A wychert house has been constructed at Chiltern Open Air Museum in Chalfont St Peter
Chalfont St Peter is a large village and civil parish in southeastern Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe a ...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
.
See also
*Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. This category encompasses a wide range and variety of building types, with differing methods of construction, from around the world, bo ...
References
External links
''Earth Buildings and their Repair'' - by Dirk Bouwens
small>(Google cached version accessed 10 March 2006) Soil-based building materials {{material-stub